It's surprising that "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" hasn't been cancelled due to its unreliable scheduling and subsequent, sour ratings.
All the same, other ABC series have done much better in compared content and scope, only to face demise. That includes "Agent Carter", which shared an unflinching, anti-commie angle: not the sort of thing, I guess, that ABC's execs could endorse for any extended time. In addition, "Inhumans" was dandy for all of its fish-out-of-water misadventure, yet got stomped not long after it began. (Gee friggin whiz, why start a high-profile spin-off, if it's not meant to conclude?)
Be that as it may, my main gripe with "S.H.I.E.L.D." is its serialized structure. (Granted, "Agent Carter" and "Inhumans" were serialized, but they came in shorter, easier-to-digest portions.) In my humble opinion, "S.H.I.E.L.D." would work better if it were defined by individual stories (and/or occasional two-parters), instead of going the one-plan, seasonal route. (To frustrate further, when the show has, in fact, dealt a juicy track, like Ghost Rider's advent, it ends up second fiddle to a loosely attached "Days of Our Lives" stint.)
Perhaps "S.H.I.E.L.D" was only ever meant to be a pseudo link. Its reluctance to tie full-fledged to the Avengers movies is a telling sign: Allusions and cameos aren't enough to cultivate an adequate crossover. (Why the heck didn't Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif become a regular?)
I don't know...maybe to enjoy "S.H.I.E.L.D", one needs to take it as a basic, Bond knockoff. However, wasn't that the point of the '60s comics series? And yet in that instance, we had Nick Fury as the Hydra-hating lead. Through him, there came constant interaction with other Marvel heroes, leaving the character and his team essential figures in an interlocking mythology: something its television counterpart hasn't achieved.
For the record, Season 6 will show "S.H.I.E.L.D." attempting to salvage humanity in the wake of Phil Coulson's end (or so the press releases proclaim), with (I'm presuming) more sappy subplots. (And what's the deal with Coulson? He didn't really die the first time around, and he shouldn't have died again. Whether he remains "dead" is anybody's guess. And who is this Clark Gregg "Sarge" guy? Is it just me or does the gimmick echo Tasha Yar getting a Romulan stand-in?)
On the possible plus side, we'll meet a gorgeous, galactic mercenary called Izel (and reputedly, not a Marvel icon in disguise), played by Karolina Wydra. She could develop in such a way to appeal on several levels...that is, if meandering motifs don't eclipse her.
Whether bland or grand, the latest "S.H.I.E.L.D." glides our way May 10. In the meantime, Season 7's production rolls on. So much for seeing Season 6's story reach fruition. Yeah, really...
Unease has surrounded Marvel's "Captain Marvel", perhaps for good reason, considering the insinuating comments aimed at certain sectors of potential followers. Also, to perpetuate concern, "The Last Jedi", "The Shape of Water", CW's "Supergirl", the current "Doctor Who" and the more-fiction-than-fact "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women" set the ugly pace by dishing degrees of "reversed discrimination" (bigotry by any other name, folks...), thus alienating those who by tradition have granted support to such endeavors, while making those on the fence wary to invest.
After viewing "Captain Marvel", I can say it's neither an utter turncoat to open-mindedness or a proponent of sugar-coated contempt, but as with "The Last Jedi'"s "Solo" aftermath, it takes a cold, bland turn to make its point.
And what is its point? Why, to castigate evil, and for the sake of this prequel, doing so during a give-or-take time when a divide between the factions played in all philosophical sectors of pop-cultural life. Hey, that righteous vibe caused the Berlin Wall to fall, right? Alas, though "Captain Marvel" may occupy the past, its conscientious sensibility has been reduced to meager decor.
At any rate, the film introduces us to Carol Danvers, played by Brie "Kong: Skull Island" Larson, an Air Force captain who gets transitioned into something more Kree than earthling, though it does appear she always had the right, alien stuff inside her. It only had to be unleashed.
This version of the character also skims a lot of her comic-book history. For the record, she was once known as Warbird, Binary and Ms. Marvel, performing as the protege of another called Captain Marvel, who's name was stolen from an apparition conjured by the incantation, "Shazam!". Jude Law (who was once considered to play Kal-El and Zod) acts as her charismatic mentor, Yon-Rogg, but he comes and goes, then comes and goes again...and again. That's that.
Once Danvers' Hal Jordan-knockoff origin is fixed, she crosses paths with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson: Larson's "Skull Island" costar) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who inadvertently join her crusade against a crafty Skrull who appears to be the movie's prime antagonist, Talos, played by Ben "Robin Hood" Mendelsohn, but not all is as it seems.
In fact, that's Danvers' dilemma and the film's subtle motif: Who can she trust, if she can't trust herself due to a muddled memory?
That's the gist of it, and that would be more than sufficient, if the movie only spurt some spirit. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are competent directors (the film flows at an even clip), and the mythic mix-match (thanks to too many screenwriters to mention here) is viable, but again, something is missing.
I do believe it's a lack of credible commitment to the cause. Danvers' screen embodiment is affable, but she requires more than she's dealt to hit the empathetic mark. I'm not talking physical prowess, but rather an expressed understanding of what she's doing and what she's fighting.
Perhaps that should have been better defined during the fleeting flashbacks and resulting revelations. Instead, there are times when Danvers' alternating attire appears more a part of her personality than what one can presume lies inside: good for flash, but not plot.
Talos' presence does help, but once his "secret" is revealed, he can't help but steal every scene he's in, which leaves out titular heroine looking lopsided in comparison.
Most vexing is that various episodes of "S.H.I.E.L.D.", "Agent Carter" and "Inhumans" are indisputably stronger than this venture. Maybe if the film had discarded its hallow, graphic gloss (in a vain attempt for "Doctor Strange" surrealism) and fell more in line with those old, unpretentious "Incredible Hulk" movie-of-the-week revivals, the set-up would've felt more sincere. In other words, through sentimental smallness, "Captain Marvel" could have made a huge statement, not merely on feminist derring-do, but humanity in general.
Though I'm relieved the movie didn't over-pander to those oversensitive SJWs, it still doesn't fly the way its comic-book counterpart does. For a chapter holding such promised importance (a prelude to "Endgame", no less), it should have landed more identifiable punch. What stands plays like a nervous test run and not the commanding submission it could have been.
Sorry, but tepid tries should never characterize the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they should certainly never define their tried-and-true icons.
Season 5 of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." sure spun us one mighty surprise, with its Season 4 cliffhanger catapulting us into the future--and a most dire one at that.
Looks like ol' Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the gang are now stuck in a space station surrounded by an asteroid belt made from Earth's remnants. The Kee is responsible and most aspects of Earth's history have been blown to friggin' smithereens. Talk about a gut-wrenching dilemma! On the other hand, that doesn't seem to have stopped humor from seeping in, but hey, this isn't reality, folks...at least not the kind we generally encounter.
What does this mean for S.H.I.E.L.D. and its intrepid members? Who knows? Perhaps, though, it's good that they've been placed on a parallel track, far beyond what we'd have predicted. With all due respects, the show had lost its footing and cheated us of an extended, explored universe featuring Ghost Rider last season. (Yeah, when our skull-headed friend did appear, things were tip-top fascinating, but all that took a backseat to an essay on android development: a cool subject for sure, but it wasn't by a long shot what we were promised.)
Season 4 nearly lead to the series' cancellation. If something doesn't click this time around (and reasonable time slots can only help this time around), I do fear the series won't match the longevity of the Marvel Avenger movies, and those don't appear to be fading away anytime soon.
Well, folks, at this point, I really don't know what to make of an ongoing supernatural element in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (premiering 9/20 on ABC), but when it comes to comic-book adaptations these days, the formula for success seems to be a varied "more the merrier".
Ghost Rider has now entered the Marvel super-spy scene. He's a cool, vengeance-driven character, who (with a different alter-ego) occupied two swell, theatrical films. His addition to the series, even if he's not Johnny Blaze, ought to make Season 4 one to remember, with a guaranteed new and refreshing direction. (I thought last season wavered between extremes and sometimes felt more like "Outer Limits", with its Inhumans approach, than what we normally find in derring-do Marvel.)
Incidentally, for the sake of the series, Gabriel Luna will play Robbie Reyes, the current comic-book Ghost Rider. (So, where does that put the potential Norman Reedus series, if it's even being seriously considered? Would a possible Netflix show be a prequel, or is even that just another hopeful extension of fanboy speculation?)
Guess we'll just have to see how it plays out, but for the time being, the Ghost (as he'll be referenced on the show) must elbow his way among existing characters: Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg); Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen); Alphonso MacKenzie (Henry Simmons); Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge); Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker); Holden Radcliffe (John Hannah); and of course, Daisy Johnson/Skye/Quake (Chole Bennet). (Yeah, the whole Daisy deal is far from over and will occupy a portion of the new season, no doubt, but in what way will it link to the Ghost, if at all?)
Season 4 could be a defining moment for the series. It all depends on how elaborate and/or clear-cut the producers/writers are this time out. I'm confident they'll do well, but gosh, if only we could get a stronger link to the "Avengers" movies (or vice versa), that would be most beneficial. Got my fingers crossed, since there's speculation that the Ghost's mythology may connect somehow with the upcoming "Doctor Strange", but if Season 3 was any indication of the way things are played, I've a hunch we may also face more of the same ol' distanced-at-best approach.
